"Ja, of course," Caleb agrees easily, though the slight stammer in his voice belies a little of how flustered he is. Privately, he thinks he must be among the luckiest men alive to receive this kind of permission. "What use is an experiment conducted only once?"

He ducks to press his face to the back of Yussa's neck, nose rubbing against short hair and lips brushing just beneath. I'll trust your judgement. That's a lot of trust indeed. But he can imagine the next time this occurs will be just as unexpected for them both. That is part of the fun.

"But was that actually restful for you?" Caleb finds himself asking. "Or are you going to nap with me?"

Curled around Yussa on the chaise--still buried inside him--with his robe covering them both, Caleb certainly feels like it's inevitable for him.